Effect of Nivolumab on the Quality of Life in Recurrent/Metastatic Head and Neck Cancer.

Background/aim: Nivolumab is expected to further prolong survival and improve the quality of life (QOL) of patients with a poor prognosis of head and neck cancer. However, only a few studies have been conducted regarding the QOL of recurrent or metastatic head and neck cancer patients treated with nivolumab using real-world data. This study aimed to examine the effect of nivolumab on the QOL of these patients using real-world data.

Patients and methods: This study included patients with recurrent metastatic head and neck cancer who received nivolumab at the Department of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Tokyo Medical University Hospital from May 1, 2017, to December 31, 2021. Among them, 50 patients who self-assessed their QOL were included in this study. The primary endpoint was the QOL evaluation score, and secondary endpoints were overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), response rate, and immune-related adverse events. OS and PFS were evaluated using the Kaplan-Meier method.

Results: No significant reduction in QOL was observed before or after nivolumab administration. The median OS time was 20.1 months, and 1-year OS rate was 76.4%. The median PFS time was 4.2 months, and 1-year PFS rate was 31.0%.

Conclusion: The comparison of patient QOL before and after nivolumab use suggested that patient QOL was not compromised. The results were not inferior to those of other studies in terms of treatment efficacy and safety.